A Hard Day's Night
by DarkBlacknoid
Summary: Being stuck with someone that doesn't like you...isn't really all that bad...^_~ 3rd in series


A Hard Day's Night  
  
Part One  
  
By Snowlily  
  
  
  
Dinobot unaware that he was being followed walked through the thicket in front of him. Sunlight showered his face as he stepped forth from the shadows. It took a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the newfound light. He lifted his nose into the slight breeze that blew across the land. A familiar scent filled his nostrils.  
  
"You do not stalk well, Snowlily." Just then a graceful snow leopard jumped down from a sycamore beside him.  
  
"It took you awhile. I was just seeing how long it would take you to notice me." She smiled. "You must have been deep in thought. Something botherin' you?" Dinobot started to walk again as Snowlily stepped lightly beside him.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Are you sure? Or you can just tell me to shut up and I'll change the subject. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Shut up." Dinobot said calmly.  
  
"Okay." The sound of the winds controlled the next few minutes. Then to Snowlily's surprise Dinobot filled the silence.  
  
"You have been staying out longer on your own. What do you do? Or do you want me to shut up?" he actually smiled. He's doing better at that, she thought to herself.  
  
"Hey! You reminded me of a place I found when on patrol. You wanna see it?" Dinobot hesitated.  
  
"I can't-"  
  
"I've already asked Optimus, and he said you needed a break so come on!" Snowlily bounded off towards the east. Dinobot didn't know what to do, his warrior side said you have duties, but the other said go for it. He reluctantly ran after her.  
  
After a while Dinobot started to pant. He thought, she could run a long time! She is built well. The raptor shook his head trying to wipe her image away. He instead decided to focus on following Snowlily to.wherever. The snow-cat stopped by a lush, green cliff side. Dinobot gladly halted besides her, looking out across the deep, blue sea. Tide was in and it splashed up the cliffs in swirls. The waves had long ago carved out deep, endless caverns that were unexplored.  
  
"It's great isn't it?" Snowlily sighed. Dinobot stood still not wanting to break the peace for once. Something aroused Snowlily's concern as she ripped her gaze from the ever-beautiful sea.  
  
"What is it?" Dinobot asked. She stood still for staring out into the brush, her attention diverted.  
  
"I heard something.I thought." She said not shifting her gaze. Dinobot sniffed the air and noticed it was tainted with an all to familiar stench.  
  
"Predacons." He snarled, and as a reflex Dinobot maximized along with Snowlily. A red blur shot from the trees and was revealed to be Inferno. Immediately he fired multiple rounds towards the traitor. He flew straight over the cliff. Instinctively Snowlily grabbed his hand before he tumbled over. With all her strength the snow-cat held on, but Dinobot was much bigger than she was, so she was being dragged.  
  
"Let go!" he yelled at her, but Snowlily refused to let go. Inferno flew around continuing to fire a mass of bullets and fire. There was an explosion next to Snowlily, which made them both fall. The cat-bot's legs hit a rocky ledge before plummeting into the crashing tide.  
  
"For the Royalty!" Inferno laughed maniacally as he watched them disappear under the waves.  
  
"Oh, great! Way to go ant-brain! You probably just killed Megatron! You fool!" Blackarachnia had been with the ant on patrol and watched him fight the Maximals. "Although, I guess it wouldn't bother to have Grape-Face gone." Inferno's expression was panicked as he opened his com-link.  
  
"My Queen are you there?!" Static was heard then a voice.  
  
"What is going on out there? I sensed Snow Phantom being tense." Megatron replied.  
  
"Well your pet ant just sent her over a cliff with the traitor." Gloated Blackarachnia.  
  
"WHAT?! Inferno return to base, immediately!" Inferno returned to beast mode and scurried off towards the Predacon base. He knew he was going to chewed out for this one. "Now, Blackarachnia search for Snow Phantom and don't return without her! Understood?! Megatron out!" The com went dead and the spider sighed, harshly.  
  
"Crap! As always I'm left to clean the mess."  
  
Dinobot couldn't breathe. He madly searched for the surface, but the tide was too strong. He realized that Snowlily still gripped his hand. She still refused to let go, but this time he didn't want her to. Dinobot felt countless rocks as he bounced off of them. Desperately, he tried holding on to them so as it would stop they're drifting though the current was strong. Finally, the Maximal grasped a hole that was carved into the rock surface and hoisted both of them up. Air was received into his lungs and was satisfied. As Dinobot lifted Snowlily up, her grip had gone limp. He laid her face up on the rock ledge noticing she wasn't breathing.  
  
"No!" he cried and started to perform CPR. It felt weird to touch her lips for he'd never done that before with anyone. The sound of her regurgitating was a sound of relief even though it got all over him. She opened her optics and peered up him still arched over her.  
  
"Are you functional?" he asked in a seasonable voice. She couldn't help but laugh slightly at his professional question.  
  
"I'll be okay. But I'm really feeling it in my legs." Snowlily's legs were torn into shreds and mech fluid was dripping down into the water. "And I'm getting sleepy." She had lost a lot of blood.  
  
"We need to wait out the tide before moving. Does Optimus know where we are?"  
  
"No. I haven't marked this place on the maps yet, but I can tell him where to go."  
  
"Do it." Dinobot tried to get a little more comfortable on the rock as Snowlily called Optimus. They had a long wait ahead of them.  
  
All the Predacons except Inferno were sent to aid Blackarachnia in finding the two fallen Maximals. Megatron was dealing with the ant's stupidity at the moment so he didn't accompany the others on the search.  
  
"Now, since Megatron put me personally in charge I expect you all to obey orders! Understand, Tarantulas?" Blackarachnia wanted to make this opportunity to belittle the other spider good.  
  
"Of course!" Unknown to the she-spider he called her witch under his breath. Blackarachnia spewed out orders to create a perimeter and guard it from Maximals. Once that was done, Terrasaur helped Blackarachnia in the search for Snowlily and Dinobot, which was an uneasy task.  
  
Finally, the waters softened and calmed. The two Maximals sat on the rock looking down into the water between their submerged feet. Something glowed on the bottom of the room.  
  
"What's down there?" Snowlily asked.  
  
Dinobot jumped off into the water with a crunch, which had drained quite a bit and only came up to the raptor-bot's knees. Snowlily, however, could not move or even transform because of her injuries. He reached down into the cloudy saline water and picked out one of the objects on the bottom. Dinobot gripped it tightly and cracked it loose from the floor, lifting out.  
  
"Stable Energon cubes!" he blurted, handing it to Snowlily. "Now we must make sure the Predacons don't secure these caves." Snowlily examined the cube.  
  
"Maybe I should scout out the surrounding rooms and see how much energon there is." Dinobot turned to leave.  
  
"Be careful. And don't be gone to long." Dinobot only gave a faint nod then started his trek in the luminescent water. "Oh and please don't get lost!" she yelled to him but he had already disappeared into the dim light. Hidden dips and holes littered the bottom of the other cave room much like the one they were stranded in. This one brimmed full with the energon cubes. Dinobot found no exit in this room except for a large hole that he assumed they came in from, which also glowed with the crystals. No chance at escaping from there for it was drowned with frigid water. He didn't want to venture to far because he might get lost and that wouldn't do any good. A megacycle went by and he came upon a dead end to where he could go no further. The raptor-bot turned back the way he had come to report failure.  
  
Relief overcame Snowlily's worry when Dinobot's approach was heard. The snow-bot knew the worry mostly came from Optimus worrying about them, but that didn't matter right now. Dinobot had returned to beast mode while out on his exploration.  
  
"Did you find any way out?" she asked.  
  
"Negative. I found where we entered but that is still under water. These caves are filled with stable energon." He transformed once more and settled on the rock next to his comrade. Snowlily shivered for the air had suddenly blew cold.  
  
"While you were gone Optimus informed me of a plan, that Rhinox is building a divers suit, so they can reach us easier. We should be rescued fairly soon, but Optimus and Rattrap are coming to ward off any of the Preds, while Rhinox is busy." Dinobot nodded and they were silent once more.  
  
Optimus in beast mode ran with Rattrap beside him at a high rate. Snowlily described the place where they had been before the Predacon attack. She also mentioned her getting damaged as well.  
  
"What if the Preds are still there? Mega-jerk will probably look for her too, don't ya think?" Rattrap questioned.  
  
"Well, they need medical attention and we can't just leave them down in those caves. If the Predacons are there we'll have to clear them."  
  
"There you go with the "we" business again! How come you didn't let me stay and help Rhinox while you and the pussy cat could tango with the Preds?" Rattrap whined.  
  
"Because you're a better shot than Cheetor, so I need you." Optimus retorted. As they approached the site that Snowlily described, Rattrap and Optimus slowed their pace. Eyes, ears, and nose on maximum so as it would warn them of any Predacons. Suddenly, Scorpinok plunged through the trees and shrubs clouding the forest floor, firing missiles in every direction. Then came a round of bullets from another origin that was Tarantulas using his leg guns. The Maximals dodged the array of weapons fire as best they could, taking cover behind some trees.  
  
"Tarantulas! Divert all fire to Optimus!" Scorpinok ordered as they began to bombard Optimus. The Maximal's cover couldn't withstand the force and gave way, leaving him vulnerable. Scorpinok discharged two missiles, hitting their mark. Optimus flew backward into the shrubbery as Rattrap blasted Tarantulas.  
  
"Optimus!" The rat fired a few more shots before dashing to his leader. " 'ey! Big Banana! You scrap or what?"  
  
"Not scrap yet." He replied painfully. "But enough to retreat, for the time being. Back to base." They both returned to beast mode, as did Scorpinok seeing them retreating.  
  
"Megatron will be pleased!" He cheered delightfully clicking his claws together. He lifted the spider on his back carrying him back to the cliffs. Blackarachnia with Terrasaur were less than successful trying to find the two Maximal bots.  
  
"What happened to Chuckles?" she laughed to herself.  
  
"Optimus and the rat tried entering the area, but we took care of them, for the moment at least." Scorpinok informed. Tarantulas then woke up rubbing his head with his pincher.  
  
"It's getting dark." Blackarachnia observed. " We should return to beast mode and save energy. We'll continue the search tomorrow." The she-spider transformed with the others and she ordered them to guard the perimeter.  
  
The cave grew steadily colder as the sun set, as the trapped transformers shook a little although Dinobot tried to mask it.  
  
"S-Scorpinok injured Optimus. We'll have to wait-t a little longer in here." Snowlily said drowsily. The loss of mech fluid and the cold began to get to her. "B-but they'll come tomorrow." Dinobot nodded, but really wasn't listening; he had other things on his mind. Snowlily had hidden secrets not even she knew, but he couldn't help thinking he'd met her before. long ago. Dinobot vainly searched his mind, trying to find the answers. And why does the name Rip Tide come to mind?  
  
"D-Dinobot? Are you alright?" he shook his head.  
  
"Of course." He lied.  
  
"L-Liar." She laughed. "W-What's bothering you?" Dinobot hesitated.  
  
"You.remind me of someone.long ago."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Do you always ask so many questions?"  
  
"N-Naturally!" He glared at her. "But seriously," she yawned. "I'm-m trying to keep myself-f awake."  
  
"I'm not sure really who, just someone."  
  
"Oh. Okay." They were quiet yet again. Snowlily shuddered intensely, the water temperature and her wound made it almost unbearable.  
  
"You could have prevented that injury." Dinobot commented, noticing her trembling.  
  
"W-What do you mean?"  
  
"If you'd let go."  
  
"E-Excuse me! But I-I would rather be in this fr-freezing cave than with Megatron! You know that I would have been cap-captured. Then you'd be kicking yourself real b-bad than wouldn't you?" Her arms were crossed and she stared at him with those blazing optics accusingly. Dinobot grumbled to himself; of course she was right, but he hated being wrong, especially to her.  
  
"You know I'm right. Y-You just won't admit it, but I-I won't make you. That's just who you ar-are." Snowlily laughed at more of his grumbling as he turned from her gaze. Abruptly, her laughing stopped and she screamed in pain. Dinobot turned to Snowlily again and saw her go limp before him. A splash in the water averted his attention to an electric eel wrapped around her leg dangling in the water. He ripped it off and tried to awaken Snowlily, shaking her. Her chest still moved up and down so that proved to be a good sign. Sighing, he lifted her up on his lap so her feet would no longer touch the water, holding her as gently as possible in his arms. Dinobot hated having to do this but he felt responsible for her. This position reminded him of something long ago. Why? He wasn't sure why he felt this way. Again, the name Rip Tide came to mind.  
  
"Why?" He questioned aloud. His own voice reverberated off the cave walls and was his only response. He almost felt threatened by Snowlily in some odd way. Why did she remind him of a war causality? This was not what he wanted to think about. That was a long time ago; it was the past. He was NOT that transformer anymore. But why wasn't he?  
  
"That Dinobot is dead." He whispered to himself, attempting to forget.  
  
"Ohhh." Dinobot looked down and saw those violet optics again.  
  
"Are you functional?" He grinned slightly.  
  
"I.th-think so." Her reply was slow and painful though she returned the smile. "You weren't.wor-worried.were you?" Embarrassment filled his head; he felt the mech-fluid in his face run warm for a nanoclick. The way she made him feel angered him.  
  
"Of course not." Stupid answer!  
  
"Liar." Her violet eyes disappeared behind furrowed brows and she clenched her fists obviously in dire pain. After a moment she relaxed a little, unclenching her small but capable fists. "I'm." Snowlily sighed violently. ".t-tired." Whether she realized it or not she laid her head on his chest. Uncomfortable as he felt, Dinobot didn't protest. Why? The only reasonable answer that came to mind was that she felt miserable. It's her fault. He thought grudgingly. That came across almost childish. Again he hated that feeling that seemed always present with Snowlily. Why did she seek him out all the time? Her friendly personality annoyed Dinobot to his limits, yet he liked her, though never admit it. There was just something about her he couldn't hate. Maybe because she respected him for what he was, a Predacon, and the snow-bot could relate to him. Also she didn't judge him either, like the rest of the Maximals did. Snowlily enjoyed his presence, which she made obvious. Dinobot didn't really know why she liked being around him; at times he was more than rude to her. Perhaps the raptor-bot would never know.  
  
  
  
The Maximals hurriedly ran to rescue their comrades. Rhinox finally finished the diving suit and two extra oxygen tanks that morning after working all the night before. Optimus insisted on being the one to go after them for he was the only one that could find Snowlily other than Megatron.  
  
Little did they know Megatron waited for them at the cliffs. He knew that the Maximals would certainly figure out a way to release them from their temporary prison, therefor they provided him means to recover Snow Phantom. Terrasaur had just spotted them entering the sector and they would soon be there.  
  
Inside the caves Dinobot peered down at the sleeping snow-bot. Her trembling had finally subsided enough to allow her to fall asleep. The sun apparently had risen. As for Dinobot, he had stayed up all night thinking about past things, angering himself in the process. Many times he'd growled at himself to loud that he nearly woke Snowlily. The raptor-bot hated thinking about the past, especially his own. All it did was make Dinobot bitter again at the ones who betrayed him so long ago. Wouldn't help anything to dwell on those things.  
  
Snowlily violently stirred in her sleep, which startled Dinobot. Above, he heard slight rumblings he knew only to be those of battle. Megatron must have intercepted the Maximals.  
  
"They are fighting." Dinobot looked down to see those violet optics again. They had to be her most dominant feature, which her white and black-spotted face helped bring out. Crap! There he went again! Thinking about her!  
  
"Oh no! Megatron has taken one of the oxygen tanks and is going into the water! He's coming after us." The raptor-bot narrowed his eyes and growled. "Optimus is following him."  
  
"Who will get here first?"  
  
"Megatron will, but Optimus isn't too far behind."  
  
"Will they not get lost?"  
  
"They both can sense where I am. They'll find us."  
  
Dinobot thought a moment and started to carefully lift Snowlily to place her beside him. She winced but held her tongue. He jumped down into the water and scanned the room for the best place of ambush.  
  
"What are you doing? They're coming!"  
  
"Just pretend I'm not here." Snowlily was confused but he placed a finger over his lips to silence her questions. She nodded to him and watched him crouch down behind a bolder, which enveloped him in the darkness. Snowlily could feel Megatron coming closer with Optimus trailing. Many cycles went by when the snow-cat heard water splashing from another room. She recognized Megatron's excitement of the discovery of the energon cubes and the soon recovery of her. Optimus was still at least two cycles away so Snowlily and Dinobot would have to fair on their own. The Maximal turned her attention to the sound of slushy footsteps and in the dim light a purple robot stepped forth. Megatron grinned at seeing Snowlily.  
  
"Ahh, Snow Phantom! I've found you at last." He walked up to her, but his smile had disappeared. "You're hiding something.where is Dinobot?" Snowlily just stared back at him silently with a blank expression. "No matter. Let him rot." He suddenly picked up the Maximal up in his arms and she let out a scream as pain traveled through her body.  
  
"THAT HURT!" Snowlily reflexively dug a fist into Megatron's face, which caught by surprise, dropped her in the water. Dinobot shot out of his hiding place a lunged into the water lifting out the now soaked snow-bot out of the water, which coughed out the saline water that she had almost swallowed.  
  
"Dinobot! Blast you!" The Predacon tyrant opened his t-rex head towards them both, but did not fire. "Give her to me Traitor and I will let you leave with only minimal damage."  
  
"You will have to go through her first!" Snowlily gave him a worried glance, but he was focused on Megatron.  
  
"Ha! You would not risk Optimus's life!"  
  
"Watch me!" Another splash from one of the other rooms was heard and they knew that Optimus had finally arrived. Megatron now hesitantly faced off with Dinobot. He would soon be outnumbered, but then his opportunity to retrieve Snow Phantom would be lost.  
  
"Megatron, please.Optimus is here. Let's all get out of here." Snowlily pleaded to him. If she couldn't persuade him no one could persuade him. Megatron suddenly turned and dashed into the next cave room leaving Snowlily and Dinobot, who decided against chasing after him. They heard a muffled splash and then a struggle in the adjoining room. It fell silent for a few nano-clicks and Optimus's robot form stepped into the dim, blue light. It was a site! The diver's suit was very awkward in appearance. It made the Maximal's head look deformed and the mask muffled his speech so he lifted it off.  
  
"Are you two alright?" He asked as he questionably gazed at the scene before him. Dinobot stood knee deep in the luminescent with Snowlily in his arms and she had her arms around his neck for support.  
  
"We're functional." Dinobot replied, as Snowlily couldn't resist giggling. Optimus lifted a brow but shrugged it off.  
  
"Well let's get out of here, but there's one problem.there's only one oxygen tank. Megatron took the other as you can tell, so you can either share or hold your breath."  
  
"Give it to her. I made it in without any I can make it out as well."  
  
"Barely," Snowlily whispered and he shot a 'how would you know' glare. She changed the subject quickly.  
  
"What are we going to do about the energon cubes?"  
  
"Hmm, well I guess we have to seal these caves. I'm sure Rattrap can help in that area." Optimus and Dinobot, who carried the cat-bot, half swam and half walked to the hole in the floor that was the exit. The oxygen tank was given to Snowlily as Dinobot carefully helped her down into the water. She hissed as she held on to Optimus's arm for the water stung her wounds.  
  
"Are you sure you can make it Dinobot?" he asked before he left.  
  
"Go! Do not worry about me." Snowlily looked up at him worried but the raptor was a stone wall so he'd make it. Optimus put his mask on and 'Lily put up her tank and took a deep breath. They submerged into the blue lighted water. A noise behind them was the raptor-bot plunging into the seawater. It was certainly easier getting into the caves than out for they encountered a few dead ends. Finally, the light started to get brighter as they approached the outside. Snowlily couldn't help but keep an eye on Dinobot, who was considerably far behind. He couldn't possibly hold his breath for very much longer. She tugged on Optimus's arm for him to stop and told him to wait up for their comrade. Dinobot motioned for them to keep going when he reached them but Snowlily gave him the oxygen tank. He waved it off but she insisted.  
  
"Dinobot, she wants you to take it." Optimus said through his mask. Knowing that they needed to get moving and well he had to admit it was getting harder to hold his breath; he took it. Again they headed towards the brightening light of the yellow sun.  
  
Meanwhile, the rest of the Maximal crew was beating off the Predacons, who warily fought back. Scorpinok and Inferno were the only ones who really cared.  
  
"We must keep fighting! Megatron will need cover fire!" The scorpion hopelessly tried to coax his teammates to stay, but the arrival of Airazor and Tigatron had finalized their defeat. Inferno spotted Megatron emerging from the water without Snow Phantom and he signaled their failure. The Predacons fled as the remaining Maximals whooped at their victory. They began to stare the sparkling water with anticipation. A few cycles went by a no sign of their comrades.  
  
"What's taken 'em so long?" Rattrap asked frustrated.  
  
"Hey! Look!" Cheetor pointed to bubbles and dark figures arising in the water. Optimus, Snowlily, and Dinobot were finally out of the caves. Airazor helped in lifting them out of the waters of the ocean.  
  
"How are you feeling Snow-Cat?" Tigatron asked Snowlily.  
  
"I'm okay. Don't worry about me."  
  
"We've gotta fly; she needs repairs." Optimus said taking her in his arms and flew off. Everyone left at the cliffs transformed to beast mode and started trekking back to base. Rattrap walked over to Dinobot, who still stood looking up where Optimus had flown off with Snowlily.  
  
"Sooo, Dino-bore, what did you two do whiles yous were alone 'eh?" he laughed as the raptor hissed at him threateningly.  
  
"That is none of your concern, you nosey rodent!"  
  
"Oooo! Hidin' somthin' from the Big R?"  
  
"Out of my way! Vermin!" He pushed past Rattrap as the rat trailed after him laughing again.  
  
Back at the base, Snowlily stepped out of the CR chamber feeling refreshed once again. The team was all in the bridge fiddling around with games, maps, etc. Tigatron and Airazor decided to stick around for a while to reminisce.  
  
"Hey, guys."  
  
"Snowlily, you're out! How do you feel?" the falcon asked her friend.  
  
"Much better, now. Thank you." She gave her a sisterly hug and gave Tigatron a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Tigatron." Rhinox and Optimus were kissed on the cheek as were Cheetor and Rattrap and thank yous were said to all. Someone was missing.  
  
"Where's Dinobot?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, you know Mr. Anti-social, he's off in 'is room." Rattrap told her he hadn't said a word after they had returned and went straight to his room. Snowlily wanted to thank him too, but now was not the time. Optimus let Snowlily, Rhinox, and Dinobot off for the rest of the night to recuperate, which the rhino gladly said goodnight.  
  
Later that night, Snowlily poked her head out her quarters to make sure no one was around and stepped out in to the hallway in beast mode. She made her way to Dinobot's room and transformed, knocking on the door.  
  
"What do you want?" His gruff voice came through the door.  
  
"It's me, Snowlily. Can I talk to you?" The door opened with his raptor form standing there.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked again. She leaned over a kissed the end of his snout, which caused him to leap back hissing. She just smiled and kept talking.  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you. I would have come earlier, but I didn't want to embarrass you by going to look for you to say thank you in front of everybody else." The raptor was speechless and dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say, but she turned back towards her quarters. "Goodnight." She said before turning the corner and out of sight. Dinobot sat back on his bed and went over what just happened. He was thankful that she didn't do it in front of Rattrap, if that had been the case he would have never seen the end of it. He hoped that she'd never tell anyone what happened in the caves, but so far the rat hadn't said anything to him about it, so that's good. Dinobot lay back closing his eyes, thinking about his past and why Snowlily reminded him of it so much. Maybe she was there and.then again maybe not. Perhaps it was nothing and perhaps not. He sighed for that long night in the cave was exhausting and soon his dreams took over the night.  
  
Optimus was dozing as well when Snowlily gripped his thoughts.  
  
"Optimus, I think I've broken down the door."  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Dinobot. Though he's not out of the closet I've taken down the door."  
  
"How did you do that?"  
  
"Well.um.I'll tell you later. I.um.am tired. Yeah, I'm tired."  
  
"You don't want to tell me do you?" He smirked.  
  
"No, not really. Let's just leave it between me and Dinobot, okay?"  
  
"Alright, you can tell me on your own time."  
  
"Goodnight, Optimus." The Maximal heard no more and he returned to his dreams. 


End file.
